Night Mother
by BIT Necromancer
Summary: Fuuka wakes up in Tartarus and immediately senses all is not right. Her confusion only increases once she is rescued. What is it about the girl Hamuko that seems so out of place? And why is Fuuka drawn towards the outsider Minato? *Spoilers* for P3P. Rated M for violence.
1. Waking Nightmare

_Hi again._

 _So for those of you that don't know I'm writing this story parallel to another story called Black God. You shouldn't need to read both to enjoy either but it might be more fun to read both._

 _In the time_ _intervening between this story and my last I haven't_ _acquired_ _the rights to persona or any of the characters and settings used from that series._

* * *

 **Night Mother.**

Waking Nightmare.

A ruined city lie partially submerged along the coast like a shipwreck strewn reef. At the seaward edge a pool of darkness writhed among the rubble. A young man and woman stood on either side of the miasma. Words passed between them and were carried away by the sea breeze. As the sun descended into the sea the moon grew to prominence in the heavens.

The man suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted out to it. A thin column of light extended from his finger towards the moon. The woman shouted to be heard above the sea breeze that had become more wild and violent but the man did not respond. She shouted to the sky and reluctantly, as if guided by an invisible force, raised her arm to the sky. Another column of light extended from her finger following a path parallel to the other.

The man was shouting now but words no longer passed between the two. As the wind whorled around them like a hurricane, the space between them was rent too terribly to carry words. The heavens shook above and below the gates of hell burst open. Darkness surged upward and out swallowing the man, the woman, the earth and the heavens.

* * *

Fuuka awoke softly from the dream. It was a strange dream and a bit scary but more than anything it made her feel sad for some reason. As the dream began to fade the real world took shape and she found herself surrounded by scenery that was bizarre yet strangely familiar. She was in block Arqa of the tower of darkness Tartarus.

Fuuka tried to remember how she ended up here but her head begun to ache, she started to feel dizzy and her vision went blurry.

She had been locked in the gym by Natsuki and her friends. That was the last thing she remembered. How she wound up in her current situation she didn't know. Maybe she was missing some of her memories. She wondered how long it had been since that memory.

Fuuka was still pondering amnesia when he noticed something. There was a Shadow nearby. She didn't quite know how she could tell it was there, or even what a Shadow was, but she knew that a strange monster was nearby.

She should probably feel scared, but as she stared down the corridor into the darkness where the shadow approached from, she felt calm. She knew somehow that she could survive this strange interlude. Rising to her feet and straightening her clothes she began to walk away from the shadow and towards safety.

* * *

There was someone on the floor above her.

She had been walking for hours and had so far avoided trouble. She hadn't seen any shadows or run into any dead ends and she had even managed to find some treasure (They were just some stones but she knew they'd come in handy if she was cornered). Guided by sixth sense, providence, or maybe her guardian angel she had travelled safely through the nightmarish maze so far. At first she only felt a subliminal urge leading her away from danger but as she continued to walk she felt the presence of something ahead of her growing in her mind.

Someone was on the floor above and she needed to reach them. The problem was that they were moving in the opposite direction. She had become fully aware of them an hour ago and had been trying to catch up with them and now she was getting desperate.

There was a group of shadows between her and the stairs up. If she waited for them to disperse she would fall further behind but if she could sneak past them she might be able to catch up with the mystery person. Her inner voice had managed to get her this far, and right now it said she had to get to him.

She approached the staircase.

At the corner she paused hugging the wall. She felt three shadows near the stairs. They weren't guarding the stairs but passing undetected would be difficult. Fuuka waited until she felt an opening coming and then slipped around the corner.

The stairs were in the middle of the room. Surrounding the stairs Fuuka saw, for the first time, the monsters that had been stalking these nightmare halls in her mind. Crawling closest to the stairs was a large disembodied hand with a head coming out at the wrist. Gliding lazily around the ceiling was a ghastly black bird carrying a flame lantern. Floating furthest from Fuuka was a tangled mass of black hair wearing a globe shaped crown with a book at its center.

Fuuka darted deftly towards the stairs avoiding the gaze of the shadows. Fuuka could feel their perception, she had picked her opening well. Unfortunately she wasn't a fit person and hours of walking had taken a toll on her. She wasn't fast enough to avoid the quick moving sight of the bird. It caught sight of her and let out a bizarre sound, alerting the other shadows to her presence. Fuuka was already climbing the stairs but now she had three shadows chasing her.

The hand being the closest was first to attack pouncing at Fuuka. She managed to dodge to one side and continue climbing. The bird being the fastest was next ascending past Fuuka as she climbed then diving at her. She allowed herself to fall forward ducking underneath the dive and then crawled to her feet. Next came the attack from the crowned shadow that Fuuka was trying to outrun. The slowest shadow hadn't caught up to her yet but she could sense some kind of long range spell coming. The shadow shot a deadly burst of air out of its book.

Drawing on reserves of energy she didn't know she had before now Fuuka had outrun the brunt of the deadly blast but struggled to keep her balance in its wake. She managed to keep from toppling of the edge of the stairs but still lost her balance, falling against the stairs. She picked herself up only to duck under another dive from the bird. She quickly continued to ascend before another attack could stop her.

* * *

It was the end of the line for Fuuka. A huge humanoid shadow with big muscles blocked the way forward and swarms of shadows were approaching from behind. If she could attack the shadows behind as they swarmed into the hall she could destroy them all in two or three blows but the enemy in front wouldn't give her that chance.

The hulking shadow charged at her. She threw the first of her three stones. The megido gem exploded against its bulk staggering it for a second but it continued forward determined to crush her. She threw the second stone and this time the non-elemental flames consumed the shadow completely leaving nothing left.

Fuuka felt the panic rising as the shadows behind were almost upon her. Running away from them she pulled one of the ribbons out of her sleeve and fashioned a makeshift sling. Hoping only to slow them down enough to make her escape she placed her last stone in the sling then, pivoting on one foot launched the stone back towards the encroaching shadows.

It was a desperate move. Fuuka had never used a sling before. Rather than the entrance to the hall she had hoped to hit the stone travelled into an adjacent corner. The resulting explosion caught some of the shadows as they poured into the hall but the rest swarmed along the opposite wall circling around Fuuka cutting off her escape.

It really was the end of the line now. No more means of attack, no chance of escape. Fuuka's heart was overcome by a sudden wave of sadness. How could it end like this? She had come so far only for it to end like this. She never got to tell him what he really meant to her.

Him?... Him who?

As this last curious thought passed through her mind there was a terrible noise that made her head feel like it was exploding and everything went black. She was dead... Only she wasn't.

Fuuka opened her eyes. She was still surrounded by shadows but something had distracted them and there was a gap opened down the middle of their formation. It was then that she felt the presence she had been following standing just outside the ring of shadows. Minato was there, Orpheus was behind him. Minato pointed at the headphones covering his ears. Understanding, Fuuka covered her own ears.

A blast of sound that distorted the air fired from the speaker on Orpheus' chest. Fuuka heard it through her hands but managed to remain conscious this time as another line was carved though the shadows formation.

Orpheus disappeared as Minato dashed towards her dragging a metal pipe. The shadows closed around them both.

"Stay behind me" was all that Minato said. As the restless tide of shadows approached them Fuuka half expected him to draw a gun. Instead he simply took up guard with his pipe in front of her and then Orpheus reappeared behind her with his back to her holding his lyre in mimicry of Minato's pose.

Orpheus swung his lyre in a wide arc behind them taking out a few shadows and driving the rest back. A shadow broke formation in front, attacking, but Minato quickly dispatched it with his pipe.

As the shadows ahead broke formation in attack and those behind in retreat Minato and Orpheus, keeping Fuuka at their backs, rotated around her. Orpheus took another wide swing with his lyre as they changed positions taking out a large swath of unprepared shadows. Minato quickly darted towards shadows knocked down in retreat and finished them off.

They had made a dent in the shadows numbers but many more remained. The counter attack was coming.

First was a wind spell from Orpheus' left side. Orpheus flinched but quickly retaliated with another sonic fist. Ice and fire spells came from either side in front of Minato. He forced Fuuka back as they dodged the ice spell and he took the brunt of the fire spell. Protected by his persona ability even without his persona blocking the attack Minato endured.

As an impending wave of magic built within the mass of shadows Minato dragged her to the ground and helped cover her ears. Orpheus let out a inhuman roar causing the mass of shadows to writhe in distress. Next Orpheus began plucking at the strings of his lyre. Flames appeared dancing among the ranks of the shadows.

As the flames spread another winged persona swooped through the melee slicing shadows with its bladed wings. In its wake, bolts of lightning flashed through air decimating the shadows numbers. Minato and Orpheus made short work of closest shadows and a solitary survivor was crushed underneath a heart shaped lyre.

From behind them approached Junpei, Akihiko, and between them girl carrying a naginata.

"That was pretty impressive Minato Shirogane" the girl said smiling. Minato stared straight at the girl with an unreadable expression. Then his legs gave way and Fuuka eased him to the ground as he fainted.

* * *

 _So, that's the first chapter. How did I do?_

 _So one thing I'd like to mention is Minato's last name. For the moment Shirogane is just a convenient last name to use because it saves me having to come up with an original_ _Japanese_ _name. I haven't decided yet if Naoto Shirogane will make an appearance in this story or not._

 _Again there are things about this chapter that I'm not sure of but I figured that there's nothing else I can do but post and wait for feedback. Please do review and let me know what you think._

 _I'd like to thank La Vie Musicale again for Beta reading this for me._

 _As thanks for reaching the end of my authors notes I'm going to tell you what track Fuuka was listening to during this chapter (or at least what I say she would listen to if she had her mp3 player and wasn't busy running for her life). In this chapter Fuuka was listening to "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg. I don't own In the Hall of the Mountain King._


	2. Partings

_It's been three months since I published the first chapter and I am sorry about that. I wish I could say that I was just wrapped up in "Persona 4 Arena Ultimax" which I finally got around to buying this christmas but for the most part it was just procrastination. I'll try to get future chapters out faster from now on (although I might be busy leading up to the SMASH! fanfic competition in August)._

 _Before we get started I'd like to address the comments for the first chapter._

 _First to my anonymous reviewer, thank you for the support. It would help if you point me towards my mistakes but I still appreciate your support and I'm sorry that I did, in fact, make you wait._

 _And to my second reviewer "Fuuka95", I love Fuuka too. While this story won't be the same "Fuuka love fest" type story that I usually write I will be trying to give Fuuka a greater chance to really shine and show everyone just how awesome she is. One way or another I will keep writing this story so don't worry about it going unfinished (sorry again for the wait)._

 _I once again remind you that I do not own Persona 3 or any of the characters and settings from the game. I think they are owned by ATLUS._

* * *

Partings

Fuuka awoke to a hospital ceiling. It might seem strange but the sight didn't bother her. She'd been in and out of the hospital a lot recently. There wasn't anything specifically wrong with her, she just got sick easily. Doctors told her repeatedly that stress was probably a factor, and given how strict her parents were she was willing to believe that. She knew she shouldn't be taking up a bed or a doctor's time. It's just that being hospitalized meant not being run ragged by parents who she didn't have the courage to face (they had a thing about hospitals so they rarely came to visit her).

As she lay there however, something began to grow in her mind distracting her calm. There was someone else in the room with her.

It wasn't unusual to be sharing a hospital room, indeed it would be unusual to be sharing it with no one. What was odd was that there was no perceived reason for her to make that conclusion. The curtains around her bed were drawn so she couldn't see anyone. She didn't hear anyone talking, or equipment moving, not even the sound of someone breathing. Yet somehow she felt their presence and couldn't dismiss it as just her imagination. The feeling grew to a maddening intensity until she couldn't help but investigate it.

She pulled herself out of the bed and parted the surrounding curtains slightly. Glancing around she noted by the style of decor that this was a room in the Tatsumi Memorial hospital but not one she had been in before. She was currently in a larger two patient room generally reserved for private patients. The other bed in the room was concealed behind its own curtain.

For a moment she was satisfied with the knowledge that her intuition was right. Before she could even consider returning to her own bed she was crossing the room to see her neighbor. Splitting the curtains just enough to peer inside she discovered Minato sleeping quietly behind them.

The sight of him sleeping in a hospital bed brought on a sudden rush of memories. Waking up in Tartarus, the harrowing flight up the tower and the rescue by Minato and his friends. Afterwards he had fainted and the others had carried him to the entrance. There they had faced a pair of powerful foes. Things were looking grim by the time Natsuki had wandered on to the battlefield but then Fuuka took action summoning her own persona Juno. With her power added to the fight the two shadows were quickly dispatched with. She must have fainted as well because after that, everything was a haze.

Something bugged her though. Why had Minato fainted? He seemed too skilled to be new at this. Until he fainted he had shown no sign of being exhausted, he had been staring rather intensely at the girl wielding a naginata right before he passed out. Her thoughts on the matter were cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps. She turned to see a doctor enter the room.

'Miss Yamagishi! You're awake, Are you spying on Mr. Shirogane while he's asleep?'

'No!' Blood rushed to her face and yet she began to feel light headed.

'Actually you shouldn't be up and about yet!' The doctor took Fuuka's arm steadying her and led her back to her bed.

'You've been asleep for a few days now. I don't know what you kids are up too but whatever it is it has left you mentally fatigued. Miss Kirijo assures me that nothing serious is wrong with you but I'm still going to have to give you a check-up just in case'. The doctor spent the next few minutes going through a battery of medical checks. Apart from a couple of tests involving placing electrodes on her head it wasn't any different from a usual check-up.

'Congratulations! You're in perfect health'.

Well that part was unusual. Fuuka was about to mention her typically less than fit results when two more people entered the room. One she recognized as a fit young man who had helped rescue her from Tartarus and the other was an attractive young woman she vaguely recognized as the new student council president.

'Ah, Miss Kirijo! You have good timing. Miss Yamagishi has just woken up'.

'That's good to hear'. She turned to Yamagishi.

'I am Mitsuru Kirijo and you've already met Akihiko Sanada. We're both a part of the school club S.E.E.S. We take a special interest in cases like yours'. Fuuka recognised the club name. She had seen the club listed among others at her school, and the club stood out as being remarkably unremarkable. The club description read like one for a "going home early" club and it never appeared to be seeking new members.

'Is Shirogane awake?' Akihiko asked.

'I haven't checked yet.' The doctor walked over to Minato's bed and peeked inside the curtains.

'Ah Mr. Shirogane, you're awake!'

Minato was quickly appraised of his situation and introduced to his two visitors, all of which he accepted with silent nods, before Mitsuru addressed them both.

'I'm sure you both have questions about what has recently transpired and I assure you that we will answer your questions to the best of our ability. In the meantime, it would be safest if you remained here where we can easily protect you. I've already talked to Yamagishi's parents and informed them that she will need to remain here for now. Shirogane, you don't seem to have given the school an emergency contact. Who do I talk to about your present situation?'

'There's no one. No one needs to know and no one expects to be updated on my situation unless it pertains to finances'. He replied looking Mitsuru straight in the eyes. Mitsuru stared back sharply at Minato but made no comment.

'This evening, should Minato's health permit, I'd like you both to come with us to the Iwatodai dorm where you can meet the others. We'll explain everything to you both then'.

That was strange. It seemed Minato was not yet a member of S.E.E.S.

'We'll both be back after school to pick you up. Until then please take some time to rest and relax. It might not feel like it now but you both went through quite an ordeal'.

Mitsuru and Akihiko left leaving Fuuka to try and piece together all the facts into some cohesive form of truth and Minato to be subjected to the doctor's tests.

* * *

Fuuka sat nervously in the command room of S.E.E.S. waiting for the meeting to start. Minato sat silently next to her. He had barely spoken a word since waking up. She had tried to thank him earlier for saving her but he had just shrugged off her gratitude leaving it to hang awkwardly between them.

The chairman arrived and took a seat at the head of the table. Mitsuru had explained briefly that the chairman, Shuji Ikutsuki was officially the member of staff responsible for their club. Unofficially he was a Kirijo group scientist responsible for providing them support outside of Tartarus and reporting back to the Kirijo group.

'You're Fuuka Yamagishi and Minato Shirogane, right?'

'Yes!' Fuuka blurted anxiously jumping to her feet.

'Yes'. Minato sighed, remaining seated.

'There's no need to be nervous, please sit'. Fuuka sat back down embarrassed.

'You've already been introduced to Mitsuru and Akihiko'. The chairman indicated to either side of himself. Akihiko sat next to Minato and Mitsuru sat across from him.

'This is Junpei Iori, Yukari Takeba and Hamuko Arisato'. The chairman indicated down Mitsuru's side of the table. Next to Mitsuru and across from Minato sat Junpei and next to him across from Fuuka sat Yukari.

At the end of the table sat the naginata wielder Hamuko Arisato. The name sounded familiar to Fuuka and she felt a strange intensity radiating from her. She was staring intently past her and Fuuka followed her gaze to Minato. Minato sat with practised indifference to her.

The chairman continued talking explaining the event that led up to rescuing Fuuka and Minato. After Natsuki and her friends had locked her in the gym she had become trapped in Tartarus. After that night they had gone back to the school each night to find her and subsequently been attacked by shadows. She couldn't help but think that if she hadn't been so weak all of this could have been avoided.

'It's all my fault…" She muttered to herself, but the others heard her.

'What do you mean? You're the victim.' Yukari said.

'But I caused so much trouble'.

'Hey, don't think like that'.

'We would have lost that fight if it wasn't for you.' Mitsuru said.

'You saved our lives, you should feel proud. As for you, Shirogane, I hear from Arisato that you risked your life to save Yamagishi. Despite just having awakened to your power, you're already exceptionally skilled in its use. You both have a special power that can be used to help others. We call it Persona. You have both shown yourselves to be extremely talented, and I'd like to ask both of you if you could lend us your strength'.

'Are you asking us to join you?' she asked. Mitsuru nodded. Fuuka thought about it.

She didn't consider herself to be a very reliable person. She didn't know what she could do that would really benefit the people around her. If she accepted this responsibility she could be putting all of these people at risk. But then Mitsuru had said her power was special, that her power had saved live and could save more. Turning them down was just as big a risk. On top of that, this was a perfect opportunity for her to become stronger, to learn to be strong and brave enough to help others. She'd never get another opportunity like this, if she turned it down she'd never be able to help anyone.

'You know, we're not trying to pressure you. So if you need some time to think about it...'

'I'll do it! I'll help you!' Fuuka said interrupting Yukari.

'Are you sure? If you join us you'll have to live here' Yukari said surprised by Fuuka's sudden outburst. Fuuka thought about her parents. Convincing them that she needed to leave home would be difficult but it would be a relief not having them breathing down her neck.

'That's fine. I'd rather live here than at home anyway'.

'We'll talk to the school to smooth things over with your parents' Mitsuru said.

'Thank you'. Yukari looked like she had more to say but Akihiko interrupted

'What about you Minato? Are you in?'.

'No'.

The mood at the table shifted instantly. Even Yukari seemed taken back.

'Waddaya mean no!?' Junpei exclaimed.

'I mean that I feel neither the need nor the desire to join your little group'. Junpei bristled at the statement but Yukari cut him off before he could retort.

'But why don't you want to join Minato?'

"I don't have to justify my reasons to you. You're not pressuring me to join, are you Ta-ke-ba?' He sounded her last name out mockingly. Now it was Yukari's turn to look pissed and Mitsuru had to cut her off before she slapped him.

'We won't force you to join us if you're sure that's how you feel, however you should still move to this dorm so we can protect you when the Dark Hour falls. I must insist that you stay inside during then, I don't need to tell you how dangerous the city is, of course Tartarus is completely out of bounds'.

'I refuse'.

"What!?' Now even Mitsuru had lost her composure.

'I don't need your protection, I have no intention of living in this dorm, and I will explore Tartarus if I damn well please'. The rage reflected in Mitsuru's face was frightening. Akihiko beat her to the punch.

'If you think we're going to let you do whatever you want then you're mistaken'.

'Bring it on. Unlike you I'm not playing hero. All I have to do is start a rumor that students in this dorm go outside at night and your operations in Tartarus become impossible. Sure you might have the advantage during the dark hour but without time to prepare outside of the dark hour you can't hope to mount successful missions'. The room was silent

Only moments ago Minato had been a potential ally, now he was a dangerous enemy and no one was quite sure how it happened. Minato stood up.

'Well if that's all then I'll bid you farewell' he said making an exaggerated gesture of dismissal. As he turned to leave the chairman spoke up.

'Do you intend to fight us?'

'No. If you guys leave me alone then I have no reason to interfere with your little game'.

Fuuka wanted to cry out to him not to go but as his hand reached the door it was Hamuko who called out.

'Hey Minato!' Minato turned hesitantly to look back at her.

'I'll be seeing you' she said making a hand gesture that actually meant 'I'm watching you' and grinning self-assuredly. Minato stared back at her.

'I guess so' he said enigmatically before leaving.

* * *

Fuuka sat in homeroom. The noise of her peers drowned out by her racing mind struggling to keep up with recent developments.

On top of everything that had happened yesterday this morning Natsuki had come up to her and asked to be her friend. She didn't remember what happened in the dark hour to be sure but somewhere throughout the ordeal her attitude towards Fuuka had changed.

Fuuka was still lost in thought when he walked into the room and sat down in the chair next to her. The bell for homeroom to begin rung and Mr Ekoda dragged himself into the room looking like he'd just come out of a warzone and began taking roll. It wasn't until Mr Ekoda called out his name that Fuuka realized he was there.

'Minato Shirogane'

'Here'.

Fuuka was surprised to say the least. How could she have forgotten that Minato sat next to her in class?

* * *

 _And with that, it is the end of the chapter. I hope it was alright._

 _I'm just going to say it now. I know nothing about the Japanese healthcare sector. I assume that their general admission rooms accommodate more than two patients but that is based solely on my experience with Australian hospitals._

 _As always any critiques or questions are welcome. I can't do justice to Fuuka alone. I need your help._

 _One person who has helped already is "CausticRaven" who Beta read this for me. Thank you. I'd also like to thank my two reviewers and anyone who chose favorite and/or subscribe to this story (or, indeed, any story I have written). I did notice and I am happy that you chose to support a writer like me._

 _This is the end of the authors comments. Assuming you didn't just skip to the bottom here is a little bonus that wasn't in the story (Because like a sap I read the rules that this site has regarding song lyrics). Fuuka was listening to "The Change" by Evanescence. I do not own The Change._


	3. New Friends

_I'm not dead. Although given how slow I write I may as well be._

 _First, I want to let everyone know that I've added some notices to my profile regarding some of my other stories. If you've asked a question in an anonymous review for another one of my stories, I've probably answered it there._

 _Next reviews._

 _Fuuka95. Once again I'm sorry for making you wait. I'm one of those people that believes happy endings aren't mandatory, they have to be earned. That said if anyone can earn it surely Fuuka can (sorry not giving away the ending). Thank you for your continued support._

 _Doom Marine 54. I wouldn't say you're supposed to be impressed by Minato although if he came across as a douch bag that's just my bad writing and I'm sorry. The thing is Minato isn't the hero of this story, Fuuka is._

 _Guest. Thank you so much for your support. I think I've corrected all the issues you brought up. Fuuka really is the key to this story so I'm glad to hear that I haven't messed up her character._

 _Anon. Minato is supposed to be less heroic than an anti-hero like Shinjiro, like Deadpool only less funny and he can't work a skintight red suit._

 _Extended Xenocide. And once again I apologise for my glacially slow writing. This is where I make another shameless plug for 'Black God' if you're not already reading it as it is centered around Minato. That said Minato does play an important role in this story too. He wont be forgotten._

 _I remind you that I don't own Persona 3 or any of the characters or settings from that game. They belong to ATLUS._

* * *

New Friends

The next month was a very hectic time for Fuuka.

She had never been a very social person. She was always trying to be friendly with her peers, but between the massive workload her parents insisted on and her own lack of confidence, she often found herself falling short in that area.

In one night, she had managed to make six friends. One new friend in particular proved to be quite a handful.

* * *

It was Fuuka's first day back at school since joining S.E.E.S. when they had their first true encounter. Morning class had been an anxious mix of tense silence from Minato and awkward kindness from Natsuki. The moment the bell rung for lunch, Fuuka was on her feet. She paused only to make quick excuses to Natsuki before dashing out the door. Outside she let out a breath that she didn't even realize she'd been holding. She had only let down her guard for a second when she was attacked on a new front.

"Fuuka!" A voice called gleefully.

The call was accompanied by the sound of running footsteps, and immediately followed by a fierce bear hug from behind. Fuuka was instantly paralyzed, as much by her own panic at the sudden contact as by the arms of her captor. The voice wasn't immediately familiar to her but she was held tight enough to tell that she was being held by another girl. She felt their head resting on her shoulder and managed to turn her gaze enough to see a crimson eye staring back at her.

"Arisato?!" the girl behind released her and she turned to see Hamuko Arisato beaming widely.

"I thought we were friends, Fuuka! Why don't you call me Hamuko?" she said, her attempt at pouting in no way diminishing the jubilation on her face.

"Oh, sorry... Hamuko…" Fuuka apologized awkwardly. It was clear that Hamuko felt in no way slighted.

"Come to think about it I don't think we've been properly introduced!" Hamuko said her eyes focused elsewhere, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"Well actually-" she began, about to remind her that they had been formally introduced when she joined S.E.E.S. Hamuko's eyes locked onto her, full of excitement.

"Let's get some lunch together!".

Before Fuuka could even say yes, Hamuko had latched onto her arm and was leading her at a brisk pace to the school shop. After purchasing food -Fuuka bought a crab bread while Hamuko bought an apple strudel- they made their way outside and found a bench in front of the school. Without any ceremony or grace, Hamuko devoured her food before Fuuka had even taken three bites of hers.

"Ok, I'll go first!" Fuuka, halfway through her next bite of food, said nothing. Her input hardly seemed necessary anyway.

"My name is Hamuko Arisato, I'm 16, I lead team S.E.E.S. in battle, my favourite colour is red, I'm a Cancer, my blood type is O, I'm 160cm tall and I think that the most attractive feature a guy can have is a muscular physique. Your turn now!" Fuuka almost choked on her food.

"Hey, don't sweat it. I already think you're awesome, I just want to break the ice so we can start being best friends!" Fuuka swallowed her food hard- she had never dealt with someone so... energetic before. It seemed a bit hard to just take Hamuko's instant liking of her on faith, but she was leading S.E.E.S. in battle, so it would be good if they could get off on the right foot.

"My name is Fuuka Yamagishi, I'm 16, my favourite colour is green, I think I'm a Capricorn, my blood type is O and I'm 152cm tall, I would be pleased to be your friend."

"You didn't say what you find attractive in a guy." Hamuko replied, frowning for the first time.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I've never thought about it before…" Hamuko's frown was instantly replaced by another radiant grin.

"I'm great at relationships! I bet I can figure out your type for you." Now it was Fuuka's turn to frown. Even if she did have a type, surely that was something she should discover for herself. Hamuko, regardless, examined her face as if somewhere there her romantic destiny was written. Finally she reached some conclusion.

"I know! Bad boys! You've got the hots for moody, brooding bad boys." Fuuka had no words. All she could do was stare stony faced back at Hamuko.

"What? Is there something wrong with liking bad boys?"

"Well... I don't believe in bad boys, I don't even believe in bad people. Everyone has their own reasons for the way they act. Sure, people sometimes do bad things. But that doesn't make them bad people. That just means that they don't see a certain situation the same way others do. Everyone has their own perspective on life. I think what really matters is the reasons behind their actions."

"Hmm... that's quite a noble-minded perspective. I wonder if that is what Minato likes about you."

"Wait, what?! What makes you think that Minato likes me?" she asked, stunned by the sudden shift in topic.

"'Well, think about it. He was too skilled at fighting with his persona to be a newbie. I bet he's been fighting in Tartarus for some time now, but we haven't seen him and Mitsuru hasn't detected him. He must have been going to some trouble not to be seen but he threw all that work away to defend you."

"But if that's true why didn't he join S.E.E.S. when I did?"

"I dunno... Maybe he's really shy."

"Maybe he wasn't saving me, but saving S.E.E.S. You said yourselves that I saved your lives in that last battle. Maybe Minato is using us for his own ends."

"Isn't that a little paranoid?" Maybe it was. Fuuka couldn't shake the feeling though that Minato's actions had nothing to do with Tartarus or fighting shadows.

* * *

Of course Hamuko wasn't the only new friend she had to adjust to. It wasn't long until Fuuka moved into the dorm with the others.

Mitsuru, true to her word, had managed to smooth things over with her parents and had even managed to get her out of some of her extracurriculars somehow. Her parents made no objection when she brought up moving adding only that they expected her to work hard under Mitsuru. In all fairness, her parents probaly thought she was being tutored. She didn't have as much time with Mitsuru or Akihiko as she did the others, but they nevertheless made her feel welcome in the dorm.

Natsuki who had gone from bullying her to being her closest friend was actually the easiest to adjust to. It had been weird at first, but once she got over the initial shock of Natsuki being nice to her the rest sort of came naturally. Natsuki had always been a very vibrant and up-front person. Fuuka admired the way she always said what was on her mind and how she seemed so adept at getting what she wanted from others. Sure, she could be overbearing and selfish at times, but then that was just the other side of being so at ease among others. Now that they were friends, Fuuka didn't mind indulging Natsuki; who seemed to be seeking Fuuka's approval. It helped that they were both in the same class.

Yukari was a lot like Natsuki. A vibrant person who was at ease among large groups of people. The main difference was that Fuuka didn't know Yukari like she knew Natsuki. While she was more than welcoming to Fuuka, she seemed to have a deep-seated grudge towards Mitsuru.

Not long after she had joined, Yukari had asked her to secretly investigate Mitsuru. Her hatred of Mitsuru was completely disproportionate to any action or mannerism on Mitsuru's part. Fuuka had wondered if perhaps Mitsuru had murdered someone in Yukari's family or some other equally vile crime, but that just didn't seem to fit with the image she had of Mitsuru. The alternative of course was that Yukari was unfairly persecuting Mitsuru out of some misplaced spite or selfish sense of entitlement, which didn't fit with her image of Yukari. Either way you looked at it, something had to give. Fuuka eventually decided to look into the matter for as much for the sake of Mitsuru as the sake of Yukari. Better to have the matter out in the open than for the two to continue their silent war.

Junpei was another matter altogether. Suffice it to say that he was very friendly towards her and the other female members of the dorm were always there to take the brunt of his friendliness. He was a nice enough guy, just a bit of a shock to Fuuka's system.

* * *

Minato was laying spread out on his back on a pink, circular bed. The room around him had a cloying décor that seemed to weigh down on the air itself. Another figure lay on the bed, spread opposite to Minato laying its head next to his. A dark copy lay there and whispered in his ear.

Minato didn't seem to notice his doppelganger. He gazed towards the ceiling, his eyes unfocused.

He seemed to be coming out of a trance. His eyes were becoming more and more focused and as they did, his Doppelganger seemed to lose focus. Eventually Minato sat up fully alert while his partner faded from existence. He stood up and observed his surroundings- a full length oval mirror on the wall caught his attention. He picked up his short sword from the floor and moved to stand directly in front of the mirror. Reflected in the mirror was an empty room. Someone walked up behind him and in the mirror he saw another shadowy copy whispering to an unseen victim. He turned to see Yukari wearing a towel and nothing else. He raised his sword between them but she didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were unfocused, the atmosphere of the room seemed to cloud them. She made to advance on him but Minato swung his sword slamming the pommel against the mirror. The mirror shattered and Yukari regained her focus

Yukari stood there motionless for a second absorbing the situation she had found herself in. Then she screamed, slapped Minato hard, and ran out of the room. Minato held his face where she had slapped it.

"It's the precious moments like this that make me wonder if I picked the right side…" he muttered angrily to no one.

Fuuka awoke from her dream.

As she tried to distill some meaning from the bizarre imagery her subconscious had created, she glance at her calendar. There was just seven more days until the next full moon.

* * *

Something was wrong.

Only moments ago Hamuko had led the team in vanquishing the large shadow hiding on the third floor of a local hotel. When Fuuka detected another large shadow reading, she had tried to warn the others but there had been no response. It wasn't that there was no one to respond; even now she could feel her friends inside the building. They were unharmed, unchallenged and completely unresponsive. Fuuka also felt the presence of the shadow. It had appeared suddenly after the first was defeated and its influence had steadily swallowed the entire building.

The others were spread out now, Yukari and Junpei in another room on the third floor and Mitsuru and Akihiko in a room on the second floor. Hamuko had made it all the way to the ground floor but had defied Fuuka's hopes as she too wandered into one of the rooms.

Time was running out. If something didn't change soon then the dark hour would end without them defeating the shadow. The second and third floors were patrolled by shadows but the first floor was unguarded. In any other circumstance it would have been foolish to attempt a rescue, Fuuka would have held herself back. As it was she rushed fearlessly to her friend's aide.

Inside Fuuka felt the shadows pervasive influence. It was subtle and unfocused but Fuuka felt it all the same. Whispering for her to relax; to forget and to give herself over to desire. A subliminal persuasion all but powerless against Fuuka's sight. Still the others had fallen prey to a similar deception and Fuuka feared that the shadow was yet to try to test her abilities. As Fuuka passed the stairs, the shadows influence increased in the room ahead where Hamuko was. With a sense of trepidation, Fuuka entered the room.

A pink, circular bed was prominent against the far wall of a room with a cloying décor that seemed to weigh down on the air itself. Moving in a trance through the dream unexpectedly brought to life Fuuka approached the bed. The creased sheets spoke of the bed being recently occupied. Turning away from the bed she saw the mirror remained unbroken. Minato wasn't here.

Her attention was snapped suddenly back to the immediate by the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned just in time to identify Hamuko before she was trapped in a passionate embrace.

"Hamuko!"

Fuuka barely had time to recover from the surprise of one of Hamuko's now predictably unpredictable, overly friendly greetings. Hamuko leaned against her forcing her back until she collapsed onto the bed. In an instant she was on top of her, pinning her to the bed at the waist.

"I want you Fuuka. I want you, I want you, I want you." she chanted intimately, her eyes clouded and unfocused.

"Hamuko!" Fuuka called out, shaking her friend, trying to snap her out of it. Hamuko grabbed her hands, restraining her. She leant forward, pressing Fuuka against the bed and kissed her. Blood rushed to her face as Hamuko forced her tongue into her mouth. Fuuka struggled to get a handle on the situation and luckily, a change in the room helped her do just that.

Something stirred in the mirror, she sensed her own double coming into existence. It had the shape and impression of herself, a glancing inspection might even identify it as Fuuka. Under closer inspection though the different elements didn't mesh- it was more caricature than copy. Even as it approached her, it seemed to be fighting to stay whole. It shambled up next to her and whispered with a voice like a badly tuned radio, barely recognizable as her own.

Fuuka ignored it completely, as it posed no threat to her. With just a moments hesitation she bit into Hamuko's tongue. At first she didn't seem to mind, but as Fuuka bit down harder she was forced to break off the kiss. This time she reached out to her friend through Juno. Hamuko's eyes cleared a little and her hold on her lessened. Fuuka took the opportunity to surprise Hamuko and roll on top of her. Hamuko, her mind still captive to the shadow, continued the roll placing herself back on top but they were lying against the edge of the bed now and Fuuka had momentum on her side. With just a little extra push, they toppled off the bed with Fuuka landing on top.

Pulling herself off Hamuko, who was still winded by the fall, she rushed to the mirror. She had nothing on her with which to smash the mirror and nothing nearby was practical for the task (the nearby dresser was too unwieldy).

Looking into the mirror, she saw only an imitation of Hamuko trying to rally the unseen original. Closing her eyes, she reached into the mirror with Juno, learning its structure, its mechanisms and its imperfections. Behind her Hamuko had pulled herself to her feet and was advancing on her. Seizing her from behind, she pulled her away from the mirror and threw her back onto the bed.

"Don't you love me?" she shouted frantically, clearly struggling with the voice in her ear.

"I love you, I love you like I love Mi-" Hamuko stopped mid-sentence. Behind her, cracks had spread through the mirror from the center where Fuuka had touched it.

With one final crack, it collapsed outward showering the floor in front of it with shards of glass. The liquid darkness behind hissed and spat violently at the fresh air suddenly filling the room but quickly fell silent as it leaked onto the carpet.

"Fuuka." Hamuko, now free of the mirror's spell, stared sheepishly back at her. An awkward silence threatened to stretch on forever but they weren't finished yet.

"We don't have much time left before the Dark Hour ends, the Shadow is still in the same room as the first one".

"What about the others?"

Considering what had just transpired she held grave fears for the others.

"The others are safe but they are still being manipulated. We don't have enough time to free them, we have to finish this ourselves somehow".

At the very least, the others didn't seem to be in danger from attack by shadows; only each other. Hamuko straightened her clothes and retrieved her naginata. She led the way as they raced out of the room and up to the third floor, avoiding the shadows that patrolled the hallways. Fuuka tried reaching into the rooms the others were held in as they passed, but the shadow had grown cautious, masking it's spells from casual interference. Fuuka made a silent plea for help as they passed by the majority of their team. They came to a stop outside the shadow's room.

"Here's the plan. Our supplies should still be inside where we left them. When we breach, I'll blitz the shadow while you head straight for the supplies. Give me a quick analysis then throw every offensive item we have at it. If I get hurt, heal me, otherwise just keep throwing stuff at it. Ok?" Fuuka nodded.

"Ok. Go!" Hamuko drew her evoker and summoned Orpheus. Brandishing her lyre Orpheus smashed the door in and vanished, creating an opening for Hamuko and Fuuka to rush into the room. Inside was a giant, flying, heart shaped shadow composed of pink goo.

"Tam Lin!" Hamuko was already on top of the shadow summoning the silver haired lancer to back her up. Fuuka scanned the room before spotting the duffel bag of supplies next to the door. Taking up position next to the supplies, Fuuka summoned Juno and quickly learned what she could about the shadow.

"The shadow doesn't have any weaknesses, also watch out for fire and charm attacks". She began sorting through the contents of the duffel bag trying to grab as many offensive stones as she could find as well as some dis-charms and life stones for good measure.

Hamuko darted around beneath the shadow, her naginata spinning like a buzzsaw; slicing at the shadows gelatinous body. Her persona rocketed acrobatically through the air, its spear blade glowing with a pale light, leaving ghostly trails as it spiralled around the shadow. Fuuka started throwing stones at the shadow, unleashing random elemental fury upon it.

They pressed their attack on the shadow, chipping away at its defenses. Aside from its charm skills, which were easily healed in Hamuko's case and Fuuka was immune, the shadow had little in offensive strength. Still, with just the two of them it was taking too long to defeat the shadow. It seemed like they would fail to stop it in time.

"Fuuka, where are you?" Minato's voice entered her mind. Evidently he had heard her earlier plea for help

"Third floor of the Seaside Clamshell Inn!" she answered.

"Which window?"

The question caught her of guard. Reaching her senses outward she sensed Minato on the third floor of the opposite building. He certainly didn't waste any time getting there.

"Your left." she answered.

"Ok, Stand back".

"Get back!" Fuuka warned Hamuko. She complied immediately. A second later, the window and surrounding wall exploded inwards with a violent bass sound, striking the shadow from behind and knocking it down. Through the dust and the giant hole in the wall, Minato's Orpheus could be seen framed in a similar hole in the building opposite.

"Fuuka, count us in for an all-out attack!" Hamuko shouted. Fuuka quickly relayed the command to Minato and counted them both in.

"3". Hamuko dismissed Tam Lin-

"2". -and summoned Orpheus

"1". The shadow stirred shaking off the rubble.

"Go!" The two Personas unleashed simultaneous sonic fists dead on target. The shadow's amoebic body spasmed violently before it ruptured. It was obliterated in a sonic explosion that smashed every glass object in the area with its wake.

As the dust cleared and the ringing in her ears died down, Fuuka took stock of the situation. The street facing wall had been utterly destroyed, the ceiling above crumble away, even as she stared at it. Rubble was strewn all the way from the hole in the wall to the door, she couldn't see even on piece of furniture that had escaped destruction. Most worrying was two coffin forms of transfigured humans buried under a pile of rubble.

"You have about three minutes until the dark hour ends, I suggest you spend them fleeing the scene. Unless you want to be caught in a love hotel the night of a suspicious explosion. Later." Minato spoke tonelessly. Hamuko placed a hand on her arm.

"We should go now. We don't have the time to clean all this up. Besides if we catch Mitsuru and Akihiko in their underwear, maybe they'll be too embarrassed to blame us." She had a point, and questionable ethics. Even still, she knew the night's troubles had just begun.

* * *

 _Just begun for them but for us it is over. I'm really sorry this took six months to write. I am writing this for myself but that does't lessen my guilt over making so many of you wait so long for a new chapter._

 _I'd like to thank both 'Caustic Raven' and 'La Vie Musicale' for taking time out of their own lives to beta read this for me. I'm really grateful for all your advice. Thank you too to everyone who posted a review. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon so you don't have to wait for replies or at least respon directly to reviews. Finally thank you to everyone who favorites or follows my stories. I'm sorry to keep so many people waiting, I'll try to keep you all in mind so as to finish the next chapter faster._

 _Any criticisms, critiques, cures for writers block or all too reasonable requests for me to finish a chapter within a month of starting it are welcome so please leave a review._

 _By the way. Most of the information I use while writing comes from the Megami Tensei wiki. All that stuff about height and blood type came from there. Hamuko's star sign isn't from there though, I picked that myself for reasons that don't pertain to her personality. So if you follow astrology, try not to get confused by that._

 _One of the things I'm going to try and focus on in this story is non-battle powers that Fuuka could have that make her stronger than the others. With this chapter I thought that Fuuka's scanning ability could give her a decisive edge over an opponent relying on mind control._

 _Just in case you were interested Tam Lin's attack with the glowing spear was Getsu-ei_

 _I'm planning on placing a poll regarding the next chapter on my profile within the week. Nothing major but if you want to, check it out._

 _This chapter Fuuka was listening to 'Dig' by Incubus and Hamuko was listening to 'I Kissed a Girl (and I Liked it)' (Because why wouldn't she). I don't own 'Dig' or 'I Kissed a Girl (and I Liked it)._


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